Improvement in doors for street-cars



D. R. HART.

D001 for Street Cars.

vl\o.106,362. PatentedAug. 16, 1870.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

DANIEL HART, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

llVlPROVEMENT IN DOORS FOR STREET-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 106,362, dated August 16, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL It. HART, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sliding Door for StreetUars and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference bein g had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

Figure lis a front view of the street-car, partly in section, through the weight-box, and

part being broken away to show the inner side` of the rear end. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view or the same, taken through the irregular line .r x, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved sliding door for that class of streetcars known as the fare-box car,77 and which has heretofore been made with a swinging door and covered step, so as to render said cars more convenient in use, both for driver and passengers and it consists in the construction and combination of various parts, as hereinafter more fully described.

A represents the frame or body of the car, which should be made with a front and rear platform, over Vwhich there should be a canopy or cover. B is the door, which is placed in the rear end of the car, and which, when opened, slides back into a slot or recess formed for it in or along the rear end of the car-body A.

To the upper end of the door B are attached brackets b', to the upper ends of which are pivoted rollers or pulleys (l, that roll along the upper edge of a rail or bar, l), attached to the rear-end wall of the car.

` To the upper part of the rear edge of the door B is attached an end of the cord E, which passes over a guide-pulley, F, pivoted to the upper part of the rear end of the car, near the corner. To the other end of the cord E is attached a weight, Gr, which should be Sufficiently heavy to draw the door B open when its action is unresisted.

The weight G should be surrounded with a case, H, to conceal it, and to prevent it from being obstructed or tampered with.

To the upper part of the forward edge of the door B, or to the forward bracket, b', is attached the end of a cord, I, which passes around a guide-pulley, J pivoted to the support attached to the upper part of the ear A.

The cord I extends longitudinally through the rail K, to which `the hand-straps L are attached, said rail being made hollow to receive the said cord. The cord I passes out through the front end of the car A, and toits end is attached the weight M.

The weight M should be sufficiently heavy, when left free to act, to overbalance the weight G and draw the door B shut. The weight M may be located at any convenient point ofthe front platform where it can be most readily reached by the driver, so that the driver, by raising the weight M, may allow the door B to be opened by the weight Gr. The weight M, when released, will at once close the door B. The weight M should be covered with a casin g, N,`to prevent it from being impeded or interfered with.

lVhen it is desired that the door B should be allowed to stand open, the stop-bar O is turned up,'so that its bent upper end may pass in through a slot, a', in the casing N, to support the weight M, and thus release the door from its action. Uien not required for use, the stop-bar O may be turned down with its bent end below the casing N, so as to be out of the way.

P is a gong, secured to the forward end of the car A in such a position as to be struck by the hammer Q, attached to the end of the arm or lever It, the lower end of which is pivoted to the car A in such a position that the arm S, attached to the short rod m', that connects the cord I to the weight M, when the said weight is raised in opening the door B, may strike against the toe T, pivoted to the lower end of the lever or arm It. The toe T is so formed that, when struck by the arm S in its upward movement, it will throw back the arm l, but when struck by the said arm S in its downward movement, the said toe will yield, and will not move the lever R.

The toe T is held up in proper position to be operated by the arm S by the small springI U, attached to the lower end of the lever lt, and which rests against the lower side of the said toe T. Then the toe E is released from the arm S in its upward movement, the upper end of the lever It is thrown forward, causing the hammer Q to strike the gong` I), by the spring V, which rests against the rear side of the lever It. By this construction it will be impossible for a passenger to enter or leave the car without sonndin g the gong I), and thus notifying the driver. l

To the opposite sides of the forward part of the door B are attached two handles, W, by means of which the door may be opened and closed by the passengers, and by which the passengers may steady themselves both when VW'ienteringarrd when Y'leaving the ear. i' Y Y X are two rollers, which rest against the opposite. sides of the lower part of the door B, and which assist in supporting the door against lateral pressure when being opened and closed. The rollers X are pivoted to short armsfy, attached to the rear part of the car.

lo the side posts of the doorway, at the rear end of the car, are attached two handrails, Z, only one of which can be used when the car is made with a swinging' door, and which enable passengers to readily enter the car from either side of the street, and which also are Very convenient when the car may be crowded and more than one person may be standing upon the step.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Thecombinationofthelighterandheavier weights Gr M and cords E I with the door B and car-body A, substantially as herein shown and described, said weights and cords being arranged and operating as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the gong I), hammer Y Q,-armY or Vlever Rtoek T, springs U V,and

arm S with each other and with the car-body A, weight lWI m",cord I, and door B, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the stop-bar O with the casing N n', weight M, cord I, and door B, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

DANIEL B. HART.

fitnesses JAMEs M. HART, SYLvns'rnR E. SMITH. 

